August 14, 2009

ESPN2 Will Air Premiership Opener, Saturday Matches: ESPN2 is going to air tomorrow's English Premier League opener between Chelsea and Hull City, ESPN Spanish-language announcer Roberto Abramowitz posted this afternoon on the North American Soccer List, according to the web site EPL Talk. "Look for the EPL every or most Saturdays in that time slot," Abramowitz wrote.

posted by rcade to soccer at 08:18 PM - 19 comments

This is a consequence of ESPN buying up a portion of Premier League rights after the Setanta UK collapse, giving ESPN its first branded presence in the UK market. It also presumably means that Setanta US is on very shaky ground.

posted by etagloh at 10:17 PM on August 14, 2009

Let's just hope that the match isn't preceded by girls lacrosse or World's Strongest Man running into overtime. Football is ranked below those sports on this sorryass network.

posted by trueblueroo at 11:03 PM on August 14, 2009

That's too bad that Jozy will not be playing in Hull's opener.

I don't get the Fox Soccer Channel (or Speed *sob*) anymore, so this is good news for me.

posted by NoMich at 11:04 PM on August 14, 2009

Communists! Next thing you now these scum-sucking Marxist dogs will require universal health care!

Thank god GI Joe is still number one at the box office. Shows there's still some good sense out there.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:38 PM on August 14, 2009

Very nice since Setanta was never going to be available for me, plus everyone with cable or sat gets ESPN. Extra 'Pool games FTW!

posted by billsaysthis at 12:07 AM on August 15, 2009

Premier League games in HD!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted by StarFucker at 01:13 AM on August 15, 2009

Wayne Rooney in HD! Nooooooooooooooooooo!

posted by Mr Bismarck at 07:51 AM on August 15, 2009

Damn, I was watching FSC preview program—my Dish Network guide STILL shows Bassmasters as being on, so I missed the chance to see this match. This is getting old.

Can stand Phil Brown, but was still hoping that early goal would hold up.

COME ON YOU GOONERS!

posted by scully at 09:43 AM on August 15, 2009

Err... CAN'T stand Phil Brown.

posted by scully at 09:55 AM on August 15, 2009

You mean you didn't enjoy his little headset?

I felt he should have been promoting synergy, asking for 110% effort.

posted by igottheblues at 10:10 AM on August 15, 2009

or Shamwow

posted by scully at 12:08 PM on August 15, 2009

ESPN scored a pretty good first game. Lots of action and a great goal by Drogba to win it in added time. I admire the fact that he admitted afterwards that it was an accident. He wasn't trying to score.

posted by rcade at 06:54 PM on August 15, 2009

ESPN in Britain actually showed the Everton-Arsenal match -- Sky had the UK rights for Chelsea-Hull. The Grauniad's minute-by-minute report on ESPN's debut is worth a read.

posted by etagloh at 09:19 PM on August 15, 2009

When is Bournemouth Cherries on the tee vee?

posted by NoMich at 11:18 PM on August 15, 2009

Wait, so the game WAS on ESPN2? How come i missed it? It wasn't on the schedule that i saw...

posted by StarFucker at 04:51 AM on August 16, 2009

It wasn't on the schedule. Even while the game was actually on the screen the schedule said Bassmasters, (or "assmasters" if you're juvenile and scrolled it just right).

With ESPN showing Chelsea-Hull and then FSC showing Villa-Wigan, Stoke-Burnley and Arsenal-Everton, it was a good day to park in front of the TV yesterday.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 08:49 AM on August 16, 2009

STARFUCKER!

As I said above my Dish Network guide said Bassmasters was on. My receiver is set to update overnight. I am getting sick of ESPN's schedule changes not making it to my box, but I am less upset about this than when they didn't show a footie match and showed effin' poker instead.

posted by scully at 06:17 PM on August 16, 2009

The deal was not final soon enough to get the updated schedule on set top boxes. American cable/satellite companies are far too lazy and unmotivated to get serious about the set top box software, Comcast for instance is still not even comparable to what TiVo had on their Series 1 eight years ago and has not delivered TiVo features they announced more than two years ago.

Then again, here it is Monday morning (PST) and the program guide still does not show any EPL matches on ESPN2.

posted by billsaysthis at 02:08 PM on August 17, 2009

etagloh: Whenever I see someone refer to "The Grauniad" I always smile appreciatively knowing I've met a kindred spirit:)

According to the article I read in When Saturday Comes, it said that the collapse of Setanta will have no effect on the US version.

Hope that's the case. I'd like the option of catching some footie on Setanta Broadband if I can. Subscribed for a while and it was pretty good, and I don't have cable.

Of course the only team I give a crap about are in the third tier now anyway. *sob*

posted by Drood at 04:09 AM on August 18, 2009

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